ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Social animals have more social smarts
• Human activities threaten Sumatran tiger population
• Researchers find zinc's crucial pathway to the brain
• Comparing genomes of wild and domestic tomato
• A stepping-stone for oxygen on Earth
• Cloning mice: For the first time, a donor mouse has been cloned using a drop of peripheral blood from its tail
• Archaeologists unearth Tuscaloosa's early history
• DNA found outside genes plays largely unknown, potentially vital roles: Thousands of previously unknown RNA molecules identified
• A 700,000-year-old horse gets its genome sequenced
• Location of upwelling in Earth's mantle discovered to be stable
• Chimps or humans: Who's the better baseball pitcher?
• Climate tug of war disrupting Australian atmospheric circulation patterns
• Crabgrass' secret: The despised weed makes herbicide to kill neighboring plants
• Songbirds turn on and tune up
• Sea level along Maryland's shorelines could rise two feet by 2050
• Realistic robot carp created: First robot fish with autonomous 3-D movement in Asia

Social animals have more social smarts Posted: 26 Jun 2013 03:40 PM PDT Lemurs from species that hang out in big tribes are more likely to steal food behind your back instead of in front of your face. This behavior suggests that primates who live in larger social groups tend to have more "social intelligence," a new study shows.

Human activities threaten Sumatran tiger population Posted: 26 Jun 2013 03:39 PM PDT Wildlife researchers have found that tigers in central Sumatra live at very low densities, lower than previously believed.

Researchers find zinc's crucial pathway to the brain Posted: 26 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT A new study helps explain how parts of the brain maintain their delicate balance of zinc, an element required in minute but crucial doses, particularly during embryonic development.

Comparing genomes of wild and domestic tomato Posted: 26 Jun 2013 12:39 PM PDT You say tomato, I say comparative transcriptomics. Researchers in the US, Europe and Japan have produced the first comparison of both the DNA sequences and which genes are active, or being transcribed, between the domestic tomato and its wild cousins.

A stepping-stone for oxygen on Earth Posted: 26 Jun 2013 12:39 PM PDT For most terrestrial life on Earth, oxygen is necessary for survival. But the planet's atmosphere did not always contain this life-sustaining substance, and one of science's greatest mysteries is how and when oxygenic photosynthesis first began. Now, geobiologists have found evidence of a precursor photosystem involving manganese that predates cyanobacteria, the first group of organisms to release oxygen into the environment via photosynthesis.

Cloning mice: For the first time, a donor mouse has been cloned using a drop of peripheral blood from its tail Posted: 26 Jun 2013 12:39 PM PDT Since Dolly the sheep in 1996, reproductive cloning has continued to advance; nearly 20 different mammalian species have now been cloned. Researchers have now developed a unique cloning procedure using peripheral blood cells, which may be collected repeatedly from a single animal and so facilitate preservation of infertile mouse strains.

Archaeologists unearth Tuscaloosa's early history Posted: 26 Jun 2013 12:39 PM PDT As the former location of a Civil War outhouse and POW facility to an antebellum furniture maker and ice factory, a patch of dirt in downtown Tuscaloosa has hidden a wealth of Southern history within its layers. Excavations are further revealing some of the country's rich past.

DNA found outside genes plays largely unknown, potentially vital roles: Thousands of previously unknown RNA molecules identified Posted: 26 Jun 2013 11:31 AM PDT A new study highlights the potential importance of the vast majority of human DNA that lies outside of genes within the cell.

A 700,000-year-old horse gets its genome sequenced Posted: 26 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT Scientists have just sequenced the oldest genome from a prehistoric creature. They have done so by sequencing and analyzing short pieces of DNA molecules preserved in bone-remnants from a horse that had been kept frozen for the last 700,000 years in the permafrost of Yukon, Canada.

Location of upwelling in Earth's mantle discovered to be stable Posted: 26 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT A new study shows that large-scale upwelling within Earth's mantle mostly occurs in only two places: Beneath Africa and the Central Pacific. These upwelling locations have remained remarkably stable over geologic time, despite dramatic reconfigurations of tectonic plate motions and continental locations on the Earth's surface. The study describes a plate tectonic "quadrupole," which defines two points of "net convergence" and two points of "net divergence" of tectonic plate motions.

Chimps or humans: Who's the better baseball pitcher? Posted: 26 Jun 2013 11:27 AM PDT Scientists collected motion data from baseball players to uncover why humans are such good throwers. Little leaguers and professional baseball players alike have our extinct ancestors to thank for their success on the mound, shows a new study. Of course, the ability to throw fast and accurately did not evolve so our ancestors could play ball. Instead, the study proposes that this ability first evolved nearly 2 million years ago to aid in hunting. Humans are unique in their throwing ability, even when compared to our chimpanzee cousins.

Climate tug of war disrupting Australian atmospheric circulation patterns Posted: 26 Jun 2013 08:36 AM PDT Further evidence of climate change shifting atmospheric circulation in the southern Australian-New Zealand region has been identified in a new study.

Crabgrass' secret: The despised weed makes herbicide to kill neighboring plants Posted: 26 Jun 2013 08:36 AM PDT Contrary to popular belief, crabgrass does not thrive in lawns, gardens and farm fields by simply crowding out other plants. A new study has found that the much-despised weed actually produces its own herbicides that kill nearby plants.

Songbirds turn on and tune up Posted: 26 Jun 2013 08:36 AM PDT Bullfinches learn from human teachers to sing melodies accurately, according to a new study. The analysis of human melody singing in bullfinches gives insights into the songbirds' brain processes.

Sea level along Maryland's shorelines could rise two feet by 2050 Posted: 26 Jun 2013 08:35 AM PDT A new report on sea level rise recommends that the State of Maryland should plan for a rise in sea level of as much as 2 feet by 2050. The projections are based on an assessment of the latest climate change science and federal guidelines.

Realistic robot carp created: First robot fish with autonomous 3-D movement in Asia Posted: 26 Jun 2013 08:30 AM PDT Scientists have developed a robot fish that mimics the movements of a carp. This robot which is essentially an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is ready for applications, as it can be programmed to perform specific functions, for example, for underwater archaeology such as exploring nooks and corners of wreckage -- or sunken city which are difficult for divers or traditional AUVs to access. Other applications include military activities, pipeline leakage detection, and the laying of communication cable.

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